Public Transit

Issue: Tri-rail's Fate Still Hangs In The Balance.

April 19, 2008

The Florida Department of Transportation's track record on commuter rail services is a dubious one at best. In recent weeks, DOT has bullied South Florida officials for seeking new revenue for Tri-Rail and has pushed a questionable deal for the state's largest freight line.

As the legislative session winds to a close, South Florida Regional Transportation Authority officials still have no assurances that they will obtain a permanent funding stream from car rental tax revenue. A bill to do that is moving in the Florida House, but hasn't been heard in any committees in the Florida Senate.

Making matters worse, Tri-Rail's plight has taken a back seat to a major transportation battle in the Senate over DOT's plan to buy CSX tracks in the Orlando area for a new commuter rail line. The deal includes language that would hold CSX harmless from any legal action resulting from the firm's negligence. It also provides more than $300 million to improve CSX tracks in other parts of the state and to build a massive freight line hub in rural Polk County, which has drawn the ire of that area's Republican senator, Paula Dockery.

DOT officials are pushing hard for the bill's passage, but in the process they appear to be too eager to appease CSX. Would DOT be as passionate about using its $2 car rental tax collections to pay for its already existing commuter rail service?

Instead, the agency has offered a vague promise to continue funding after threatening county commissioners and local transportation officials that using car rental tax revenue would result in the loss of ongoing road projects in South Florida.

There's a lot at stake here. The state of Florida can't risk shortchanging Tri-Rail, which is now seen as one of the nation's bright spots by federal transportation officials with power to steer funding to successful mass transit projects. Future commuter rail projects won't stand a chance of attracting Washington's attention if Tri-Rail fails.

State senators should make quick work of killing any proposal that would give CSX a free ride on negligence claims. They should then press DOT to take mass transit seriously and make sure commuter rail succeeds in Orlando and South Florida.